Hey there! I am looking for suggestions on a good plant to use as a carpet in a low-tech situation (no CO2/Excel) - if possible, one that will grow okay in gravel (with no planting substrate). If I can't do a carpet with no planting substrate, I will have to think about mixing some in with the gravel. My tank has planting substrate at the back and gravel at the front, but I have decided I want to get my tank more heavily planted - the pics on this site are making me too jealous!

I have been researching this same question. Only, I will have ADA Aquasoil as a substrate. At this time my opinion is that we are pretty limited if we want a low growing substrate, perhaps with Marsilea minuta being the only one that will reliably grow well and low. I plan to use Sagittaria subulata, but it will give me a "lawn" that is much more likely to be 3 inches tall than 1 inch tall. The usual low growing, carpet plants all seem to need more light and/or CO2 to do at all well at growing low and dense. I think most people who have success with those in "low light" actually have much more light than they think.

I'm doing DHG in a 10 gal, 2x13w cfl's in a standard hood, excel 3x a week, aquasoil and root tabs and in the past month since I set it up, I can see 30-40 runners starting all over the tank, so in a few months I expect it to fill in the entire tank. Not sure how well it would do without the excel, root tabs or aquasoil though.

I'm doing DHG in a 10 gal, 2x13w cfl's in a standard hood, excel 3x a week, aquasoil and root tabs and in the past month since I set it up, I can see 30-40 runners starting all over the tank, so in a few months I expect it to fill in the entire tank. Not sure how well it would do without the excel, root tabs or aquasoil though.

dwarf sag and it can be "mowed" with scissors if it gets to tall lol i do it all the time and it does not need plant substrate just gravel works well and will help it stay smaller too from what i have noticed in my tanks

I didn't think Dwarf Sag could be "mowed". I think I am going that route. I am sry starting a tank and picked up some micro sword for a carpet will see how goes. My substrate is Miracle Grow (orange bag) with a sand cap.

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